T&W Guest: Jason Minty, Becker Minty

The Becker Minty feature today is a slice of pure city glamour. We talked to Jason Minty, co-founder of Becker Minty, about international travel and his unique style.

How would you describe the Becker Minty style?
The Becker Minty style, which is also my personal style, is "maximalist" and a little bit quirky.  It's about merging old and new pieces for a layered look with personality. We aim to have "the best of everything", so everything is chosen for its quality. We're not afraid of luxury, and I'm seeing more and more that people are happy to return to quality and luxury after years of mass production and consumerism.

It's important to us that the pieces we carry are also unique.  We only carry one or two pieces of most of our stock, and in many cases items are vintage and therefore one-off.  Our customers know that if they buy something from us, they won't see it everywhere.

What's your approach to decorating?
I live close to the store, and I'm constantly moving things in and out and changing things around at home and in the store, so I definitely think it's a process!  The most important thing is to keep the pieces you love - I hate the idea of throwing everything out and starting again. If you keep the things you love, and add to them over time with new things, and vintage things, then it will all come together. This layering approach takes time, but the result will really reflect your own taste, your travels and your personality.

How did you come to start Becker Minty?
I stumbled into it, really!  I used to work for Qantas so I was travelling the world, and I found myself constantly shopping for family and friends. After I left Qantas, I realised I could convert my shopping skills into a business, and Becker Minty was born in 2007. I still travel a lot - probably half our stock comes from overseas and I visit Paris, Spain and New York every year. I've also visited Argentina, Germany, Croatia and Asia to find things for the store - it's a real melting pot of influences.

What can you tell us about the pieces in the Becker Minty feature?
There are a few pieces I really love.  The dark wood frames, tray card box and the large jewellery box are Becker Minty pieces - we had them designed to our own specifications and we stock them all the time.  The vintage ruby glass cocktail shakers and glasses are really special; I picked them up on a recent trip to New York, and they date from the 1930s and 1940s. The glasses have a bell on the bottom so they make a sound every time you take a sip - gorgeous.

Cheers!
Victoria